How schools manage their academic reporting is changing. Choosing a Learning Management System (LMS) platform that supports real-time feedback is critical for schools.
Decades of education research supports the idea that by teaching less and providing more feedback, we can produce greater learning.
This research has informed the recommended practice for schools defining 7 keys to effective feedback, where feedback is goal referenced, tangible and transparent, actionable, user-friendly (specific and personalised), timely and ongoing.²
A schools academic reporting process needs to mirror the feedback process, providing the optimal environment for student learning.
The main benefit of this approach is that students receive specific and personalised feedback that is timely and ongoing. This allows students to learn and progress on tasks as they go, as opposed to receiving the traditional end of Term report where the feedback is seen as too little too late.
Advice, evaluation, grades – none of these provide the descriptive information that students need to reach their goals.
So how do schools select an LMS platform that facilitates continuous reporting and real-time feedback? Read our checklist to ensure your school has capacity to report in real-time, look for tools in the LMS that:
1. Enable formative feedback
Allow teachers to build formative assessment tasks to monitor student learning and provide ongoing feedback.
2. Allow feedback that is goal referenced or relates to the learning intention
Get students involved in academic mapping and goal setting.
3. Encourage student reflections
Provide students with opportunities to complete pre and post reflection on each task.
4. Manage student expectations
Students can assess the quality of their work and predict their own performance.
5. Separate teacher feedback from the mark or grade
Allow teachers to withhold marks before giving feedback.
6. Transparency for your school community
Give families access to the LMS platform so they can monitor their child’s progress.
And most importantly, once you have found a platform that allows the school to report in real-time define a staff wide practice for marking and releasing feedback to students.
